Statistics show that from January to September 2007, China produced a total of 50.19 billion cubic meters of natural gas, which surpassed the total output of natural gas last year, a significant increase of 19.8% year-on-year. At the same time, since the beginning of this year, substantial progress has been made in the development of coalbed methane in Shaanxi Hancheng, Tongchuan, Shanxi Jincheng, Yangquan, Henan Jiaozuo, Heilongjiang Jixi, and Guizhou Longxi. A large amount of coalbed methane is directly used for civil gas, power generation and automobile gas, and it has played a role in replacing some natural gas.
Under the influence of various comprehensive factors, this year's natural gas supply is better than in previous years, which is also a general reflection of chemical companies.
“After continuous expansion, the company now has a capacity of 430,000 tons/year of methanol, and needs more than 400 million cubic meters of natural gas per year. Although the production capacity has expanded, the company’s natural gas supply situation has been good, and the winter supply is better than in previous years. There was no situation influencing production due to gas supply, said Guo Jiangtao, director of the Propaganda Department of Shaanxi Yulin Natural Gas Chemical Co., Ltd., who told reporters. He estimated that the company's methanol production will exceed 400,000 tons throughout the year, setting a record high.
The Minister of Propaganda Department of Sulige Natural Gas Chemical Co., Ltd. in Inner Mongolia is also pleased to report to reporters that the company’s natural gas supply this year is better than in previous years, and the 180,000-ton/year methanol plant has been operating at high load. Even if it enters the winter, the production plant can maintain About 90% of the load, and this time in previous years, can only be maintained at about 80%.
Responsible person of Chongqing Qinghua Ziguang Yingli Natural Gas Chemical Co., Ltd. said in an interview with reporters that in recent years, due to the tight supply of natural gas, the company sometimes even stopped some of the devices due to insufficient air supply. However, this year's situation is much better. Not only is the normal supply condition better, the device can maintain about 80% of the load operation. Even in the winter, the gas supply conditions are relatively normal, and the current production equipment can still maintain more than 75% of the load.
However, the reporter found a strange phenomenon in the interview: Fertilizer companies did not feel that this year's changes in natural gas supply are improving.
“What is the change? The supply of natural gas is still so tight. At present, our ammonia urea plant can only maintain a low load of 60%. With the cold weather and the arrival of natural gas consumption, the gas supply situation will become more severe.†Henan Zhongyuan University The relevant person in charge appeared somewhat worried when interviewed by reporters.
He Hezhong, an intermediate nitrogenous fertilizer company with an annual output of 100,000 tons of synthetic ammonia and 120,000 tons of ammonium bicarbonate in the southwest region, told reporters that in the past two years, the supply of natural gas for chemical fertilizers has been very tight, and the supply of gas by SMEs has not been guaranteed. Taking his company as an example, based on the production of one ton of synthetic ammonia per 840 cubic meters of natural gas, the annual demand of natural gas should be over 84 million cubic meters. In fact, the annual contracted natural gas supply is less than 55 million cubic meters. Meet 60% of the company's needs. This year's situation is even worse. Some time ago, it was almost "air-breathing." If the market price is not high enough to buy gas from the supplier, the company may already have "stopped overhaul".
Manager He also disclosed to reporters the meaning of "parking and maintenance." He said that because the fertilizer production enjoys the national preferential gas price policy, natural gas supply companies have almost no profit in the fertilizer companies. Therefore, although the gas supply companies dare not violate the policies, they make a fuss about the amount of gas supply: each year in the fertilizer companies. When signing the gas supply contract, the 70-day planned gas use quota will be deducted to allow the company to “stop and overhaul†and to attach the “Priority guarantee for civilian gas supply†when the supply of natural gas is in short supply. In this way, gas supply companies can not only deduct 70 days of gas use indicators, but also according to "additional terms" at any time to reduce the amount of gas supply to fertilizer companies, so that fertilizer companies can supply only 70% of the operating load for most of the time.
In fact, fertilizer companies have been trapped in the problem of insufficient supply of gas for a long time.
From January 7 to March 14, 2005, the largest chemical fertilizer manufacturer in North China and Chuzhou Dahua Group, which annually produced 580,000 tons of urea, reduced fertilizer production by 100,000 tons due to the interruption of gas supply for more than two months. Therefore, the reduction of profits is 15 million yuan. Before and after the Spring Festival in 2006, the Henan Zhongyang Dahua Chemical Group Co., Ltd. also had insufficient air supply, and the device could only maintain 60% of low-load operation for more than three months. In the same period, it was seldom heard of which non-fertilizer producer reduced production or stopped production due to insufficient gas supply.
“Who let the fertilizer company enjoy the preferential price?†A person in charge of an air supply unit did not want to be named. The person in charge said that on December 26, 2005, after the domestic natural gas price was raised, the price of fertilizer production gas was generally below 1 yuan/m3 (arrival price), and the gas price of individual gas-to-liquid fertilizer enterprises was even less than 0.6. Yuan/cubic meter, which is 0.4%/cubic meter lower than the industrial gas price in the same period, which is less than the price of gas for civil use and other industries. On November 10 this year, the state once again raised the price of natural gas for industrial use by 0.4 yuan/cubic meter, except that the price of fertilizer gas was not raised. In this way, the price of fertilizer gas throughout the country is generally only half the price of industrial gas.
“Also a customer, why can we not give priority to high-priced customers, but we must ensure that the lower-priced fertilizer companies use the gas?†The responsible person asked the reporters confidently.